The Bronte By Night
by The Vampire's Missus
Summary: Now Complete. Nick and Ruby experience the uglier side of life on the Bronte Estate.
1. Chapter 1

The Bronte By Night (Pt 1)

It was nearly dark when Ruby parked the panda on the outskirts of the Bronte Estate, she and Nick got out and surveyed the area in the gathering gloom. It was quiet, except for the sound of some children playing in the playground. They strolled through the playground and the kids ran up to them.

"Hello, can we have a ride in your car?", said a scruffy looking boy.

Ruby smiled at them "We'll have to see if your parents think you've been good enough! It's a bit late tonight, shouldn't you be having your dinner?"

Just at that moment a woman's voice carried out from a balcony, "Pete, Rob, Dave - come in for your dinner!"

Nick laughed, "That was good timing boys!"

The kids moaned and started to head off home. Ruby shrugged at Nick and they headed out the gate and along an walkway. One in five lights was broken, the council had put repair stickers on them, but they had already been half torn off. The repair schedule was over-burdened and under-funded, something which the local residents association had been extremely vocal about at last week's council meeting. They turned a corner and saw one of the local activists marching down the plaza, Ms Duah nodded a hello but didn't stop, she had her 'determined' face on and wasn't going to stop for tea and biscuits with a pair of plods.

The officers continued on and started through the next set of alleyways. Pounding music came from the garage area. A group of young men were break-dancing to the delight of their mates in the gang. As Ruby and Nick walked past, the teenagers sang out a sing-song greeting in mock Jamaican "Ai, is a bootiful nigga bitch ya got dere, Machete Boy!"

Nick and Ruby both said "Oi, shut it!" at the same time. The only response from the boys was a full-bodied laugh that carried in the air. Nick looked at Ruby to see if she wanted to do something about the boys, but she just kept walking, her head held high. Nick felt pissed off about the attitude of the boys. Reclaiming the word "nigger" was one thing, inflicting it on someone else was beyond his comprehension, let alone the sexism...Ruby simply let the remarks wash over her: there were more important things to worry about. She was more amazed that the Machete Boy taunt had survived so long. She remembered the story of gang leader Reload threatening Nick with the 12 inch machete and shook her head in disbelief. Nick saw this and asked, "You okay? You didn't wanna have it out with those little creeps?"

Ruby smiled, "Nah, they're pretty harmless like that. Wait until they do something really stupid. Then we can come down on them like a ton of bricks."

They continued along and reached a grassed area with a small playground. A young man was sitting on the kiddy see-saw with his back to them, smoking dope.

Nick walked up to him and said, "Hello, Wavelength. How's the pirate radio business?"

Wavelength coughed out his roach and turned round. "Ehhhh, White Boy? Haven't seen you in ages...hello loveliness, who are you?" Wavelength looked up and down Ruby's body, trying to imagine her out of that drab uniform.

Ruby rolled her eyes at the absurdity of the pick up, "I'm PC Buxton, and I could nick you for that stuff you're smoking."

Wavelength scowled at her, "It's only a little ganaga! Chill out and have some, yeah?"

Ruby tried not to laugh, the man was so brazen. "No thanks. We're on duty and that stuff's illegal. Do you hear what I'm saying?"

Wavelength sucked his teeth like an old man, "Spoilsport!", he got serious for a moment. "Hey tell you what. You wanna check out the top floor of Hassop House...serious scum in there. Nazi scum...know what I mean?"

Nick exchanged a look with Ruby, and asked "Has anything happened that we should know about?"

Wavelength shrugged, "They started moving in last week, but nothing's happened...yet."

Ruby said, "Is anything being planned?"

Wavelength simply shrugged again. Nick knew the man would say nothing more, so he nodded, "Okay, thanks Wavelength, you've been a great help. But if you find out anything, call me, yeah?"

They walked away and went around to Hassop House. The area was quiet. The sound of the odd TV could be heard, mixed with stereos, but nobody was outside.

Ruby looked around and asked, "So, would Wavelength spin you a line? Stir things up to get rid of some unfriendly faces?"

Nick shook his head, "Nah, he's always seemed pretty much straight up and down, I don't think he'd lie about something like this..."

Ruby tilted her head, "Well, we haven't heard anything about this officially. Let's go and tell the Sarge, then."

They went to the car and radioed in. Sgt. Boyden listened to them and finally decided, "Look stay out there, keep your eyes and ears peeled. I'll see if the LIO has anything new, I haven't heard of any Neo-Nazi gangs forming recently. I doubt if things'll kick off tonight. But be careful."

"Right Sarge. Thanks." Ruby looked over at Nick and asked, "Maybe Ms. Duah can shed some light on all this? Was she going home, before?"

"Yeah, it looked like it...let's pay her a visit, then." Nick replied, and they drove round to the newer buildings.

The door was opened by a woman with fire in her eyes, and she looked at the two officers intently. "Can I help you?", she asked, with just a hint of mocking in her voice.

Ruby smiled and said, "Hello, I'm PC Buxton and this is PC Klein, Sun Hill. We know you're an active member of this community, so may we come in and ask you some things?"

The other woman looked at Ruby, shrugged and smiled, "Yeah, okay." She led them into the lounge and asked them to sit.

Nick said, "We'd like to ask about some of the new residents in Hassop House. Are any of them looking like trouble?"

Ms. Duah pondered for a moment, "Well, there's some skinheads, but they seem to be behaving themselves. I'm not going to jump to conclusions - they could be Rude Boys for all I know..."

"So nobody has been intimidated or threatened then?" asked Ruby.

"I haven't heard of anything...if I do, I'll make sure you get to hear of it too."

"What about the garaging outfits, they gonna stir things up?" Nick asked.

"Well, nobody's said anything that ain't the usual bull..." smiled Ms. Duah.

Ruby and Nick left the flat and walked down the stairs. "Well, there's reason to be fairly optimistic..." Ruby said.

"Mmmm, let's go down and radio in, then." Nick replied.

They got back in the car and told Sgt. Boyden what they'd found out. "Okay, there's nothing new this end, so stay on patrol. Only another 6 hours till end of shift...and there's plenty of ground left to cover." Matt replied, as Nick groaned.

Ruby started the car and drove of down the road, through the underground garages. She slowed down where a man was lying by a wall. She looked at Nick and they got out to check on the man. He stirred as they approached and muttered "Geddafugawayfromme!"

Ruby rolled her eyes, "A wino, might have known..." They turned and saw a figure run across their path. The man threw a bottle at them. Ruby got on the radio to report and ran to catch up with Nick who had started chasing him. They got out their torches and ASPs and looked inside a doorway. There was another open door at the other end of the room and they walked through it. The flashlights picked up posters on the walls, takeaway food boxes on the tables and general mess. Nick swung his torch up to the posters and scowled in disgust. Waffen-SS, a Der Sturmer front page, cartoon Chinamen, Islamic terrorists and Klansmen 'decorated' the walls. Ruby stared at them in distaste, and they caught each other's eye.

"This looks like a bad place to hang around in, Nick. Let's get back to the car and report in. There might be trouble brewing after all..." Ruby stared at the posters in contempt.

They started to walk back to the garages, but a sound from behind made them stop and turn. Several skinheads had entered the room , and some more were behind the two officers.

Nick looked them square in the face and said, "Right lads, is there a problem?"

The skinhead leader smiled as he walked toward them, and said, "Nah, but I think you two might have one..."

Ruby said "Look, we've got back up, so don't do anything silly. We've got a patrol to do, so let us get on with our job."

The skinhead laughed and said to Nick "Your ape girlfriend speaks English well. Did you give her lessons when you took her from the jungle?"

Nick kept the anger from his voice "Back off right now. You speak to people like that and we'll arrest you."

The skinhheads did not move, so Nick and Ruby moved towards the door keeping the thugs in sight . They had almost reached it when the leader nodded and the thug closest to the door slammed it shut. Ruby reached for her radio, but the others grabbed her, punching her as Nick brought down his baton on one of them.

"Let her go!" he shouted, pressing the panic button on his radio. "Urgent assistance underground garages, Hassop House... Right back up is on it's way, now you lot just back off!" Nick edged towards Ruby, but he was grabbed by the others...


	2. Chapter 2

The Bronte By Night (Pt 2)

Ruby slowly woke up. She was in pain and coughed as she tried to move. She found she was cuffed to a pipe in the corner of the room and struggled against it for a moment. One of the skinheads leant down and slapped her, "Shut it, bitch!" Ruby shot him a filthy look and looked around for Nick. He was cuffed to the other end of the pipe and just regaining consciousness. There was only a single low-watt lamp in the room, giving off a dull glow.

The thugs had their radios, equipment belts, stab vests and were pawing through their wallets. The leader took out the money and credit cards and pocketed them. One thug was looking at the warrent cards and said "Oi, you look like a gorilla in this photo, darling!"

Ruby glared at him, "Get stuffed", she muttered, and looked at Nick.

He looked at her sadly and just said "I'm sorry..."

Ruby gave a small nod and whispered, "It's okay, they'll get what's coming to them! I think I recognise the leader, Paul Hansen, he was a small time thug, but I didn't think he was capable of leading a gang out of a paper bag. Don't know the others..."

Nick whispered back, "I think we're in a radio dead spot down here. I don't think anyone heard my call..."

Ruby just stared at Nick and said nothing for a moment. Finally, she said "They'll get bored soon and leave us here. Someone will turn up and see what's happening...", she trailled off, realising how unlikely that was. Nick nodded, joining in the faint hope.

The skinheads had got bored with playing policeman and waving the ASPs at each other and went over to the leader.

Hansen had a strange smile on his face as he looked at Nick's warrrent card. "Klein, Klein...that's an interesting name. There was a famous Oberscharfürher in the SS called Klein. I don't suppose you're related to him? No, somehow I don't think so...from the look of you..." he sniffed and looked at the print from Der Stürmer.

Ruby was getting very worried. She looked at Hansen "Look, you've had your fun, our backup will be looking for us. Let us go before you get into more trouble.."

The man just smiled at her, "Oh, don't think I haven't realised that we are in a radio black spot. Your mates aren't going to suddenly turn up...oh and the car's gone for a little run around the block."

Nick struggled to keep the fear from his voice, "Listen, you can't keep us here forever. You have to let us go, our colleagues will find us, and sooner than you think."

Meanwhile Sgt. Boyden was listening to the calls coming in to the CAD room. A fight at a pub, a break-in at a butcher's shop and an RTA. He looked at the clock, and hit a switch, "85 from Sierra Oscar, location please?"and waited. Nothing... "140 from Sierra Oscar, location please...988 from Sierra Oscar, respond please..." Matt tapped his fingers for a moment, "All units from Sierra Oscar, 140 and 988 aren't responding. Last known location car park near Hassop House, on the Bronte, can someone go look for them?"

Cass nodded to Tony and she replied, "Sierra Oscar from Sierra One, show us dealing..." as Tony sped off down the street. They got to Hassop House and Cass tried the radio,"140 from 518 location, please?...988 from 518 location please?" Tony was not optimistic, "All these walls and angles, could be in a dead spot...c'mon, let's drive around the block...they're around here somewhere..."

Tony and Cass drove past the playground and into the plaza. They looked around and Tony said "Underground garages..." and turned the car around. He slowly drove down the roadway and Cass kept an eye out for the missing pair. They passed the wino who gave them a one fingered gesture. "Charming", muttered Tony, as he drove past. Cass tried the radio again but couldn't get a reply, "Let's not hang around under here too long, Tone...this is a dead spot." Tony drove on out of the garages. Outside, Cass called in again to ask what they should do. Matt told them about Ms. Duah, and Cass and Tony set off up the stairs.

They knocked on her door, and the woman opened the door with a slighty annoyed look. "Is your whole nick gonna see me tonight? I would've bought more coffee if I'd known!"

"So, our colleagues were here earlier? Did they say where they were going next - we've lost contact with them." Cass said, a look of worry creeping over her face.

"They were asking about the new arrivals from the top floor. I told them that they hadn't caused any trouble. The skinheads seem polite enough."

Tony and Cass walked out the flat none the wiser. Cass pulled out her mobile and thumbed a few keys. "I should have thought of this earlier...", and held the phone to her ear, "Service not available...I don't think it's off, or it would have gone straight to the answering service..."

"Sierra Oscar from 595...Sarge, still no sign of them. What do you want us to do now?"

Matt replied, "Hang on a minute, Tone" and listened to something on another channel, "Tony, go to the old brickworks at the end of Colletts Way, the fire brigade have a burning car... they reckon it looks like a panda."

Cass looked at Tony in horror and they ran down the stairs.

2 minutes later, they came to the brickworks and saw the fire fighters putting out the last of the flames. They got out the car and the stench of burnt flesh mingled with chemical foam hung in the air.

The chief firefighter walked up to them, "Right Tony? This isn't pretty..."

Cass looked into the car and nearly passed out at the sight of the charred remains of two bodies...


	3. Chapter 3

The Bronte By Night (Pt 3)

"Pigs!", exclaimed Matt.

"Yes Sarge,Two whole pigs, put in the panda and torched. Must've been from the break-in at the butcher's...", Tony replied. He looked over to where Cass was sitting, her head in her hands. She had thought she had lost the man she loved.

"Right, I'm getting everyone over to the Bronte, they have to be there somewhere. I'll call the Guv'nor and have TSG brought in too." Matt said over the radio, then muttered, "This means war..."

Meanwhile, the thugs were discussing something, but Ruby couldn't hear what was being said. Nick leant back and tried to see if the pipes were loose anywhere, but they seemed solid.

The neo-Nazis had reached a conclusion about something and were laughing as they looked over at the two officers. One of them twirled the ASP and practised bringing it down in a sweeping motion.

Ruby saw the look in Hansen's eye and had a good idea of what the man wanted to do to her. She looked him straight in the eye and said calmly, "I know I can't do anything to stop you, but know this - you will be caught and punished. You'll be sorry you were ever born..." Hansen just sneered at her and swigged from a bottle of beer. Nick shifted across and held onto Ruby's hand, and they sat in silence waiting to see what would happen next.

A few moments later, Ruby became aware of a sound coming from the garage area, she nudged Nick and they strained to hear what it was. It was the sound of a large group running down the roadway, shouting something. Ruby and Nick looked at each other in relief, the radio had worked after all, they were going to be saved...

The thugs had also heard the noise and one went to look. Nick shouted out "Help! We're in here--", but was cut off by a kick in the face. The man ducked his head out the door, then quickly back in, and locked the door exclaiming, "There's a pack of niggers coming for us, loads of 'em!"

The door was being kicked in, as well as the other door. They were surrounded by the garaging gangs, who were not in the mood for tea and biscuits. One door was finally flung open and a molotov cocktail was thrown in. It smashed on the ground and flames spread over the floor. Ruby gasped in horror and nudged Nick awake. The gang members came pouring into the room and a fight broke out. The neo-Nazis were outnumbered as the gangs came at them with baseball bats and knives. The lamp had been smashed and Ruby tried to make out what was happening. The fire had started to take hold in the room, burning the table and chairs. Some of the fight was moving outside.

Ruby shouted for help, but her voice was lost in the commotion and darkness. Nick joined in shouting, but no one came to help. He twisted round and they both started to pull against the pipe. It only moved a little and the room was filling up with smoke, they kept pulling but it didn't help. They were stuck in a burning room and no-one was going to help them. Smoke started to fill the room and they tried not to breathe it in. After a few minutes, Ruby said "I think I can hear sirens, I think we'll be saved soon." She coughed and shook her head to clear it. Nick kept trying to pull the pipe away and started to feel dizzy, finally passing out at the same time as Ruby...

Outside, the TSG had shown up and started picking off the warring gangs. The relief and some fire engines had arrived, too. Cass saw a skinhead racing away and quickly brought down her ASP on the back of his knee, he fell and Cass pinned him down, "Where are they, what have you done to them?", she shouted in his face. Tony reached down and picked the terrified man up and hauled him away. Cass looked anxiously toward the fire and waited for the fire fighters to put it out. Tony returned and stood with her, putting his arm around her shoulders.

Matt came over and looked at the chaotic scene. "What the hell happened?"

Nobody said anything else for a while. Matt went to talk to the TSG commander, hoping to find his PCs. The fire-fighters were inside the garages and one came running out to an approaching ambulance, he waved Matt over too. "We found two people inside, they're still alive. We're bringing them out now."

Cass rushed over when she saw what was happening and climbed in the ambulance with the unconscious officers, "I'm going with them, Sarge."

Matt turned to the fire chief who reported, "They were cuffed to a pipe, we had to use bolt-cutters to free them, it looks like they were trying to pull the pipe out...not a good idea when the fire started...it was a gas pipe."

Matt looked at Tony, "Probably not a good idea to tell them that when they wake up, or Cass for that matter..."

Tony and Matt then went over to the van where Hansen was cuffed and putting up a fight. Matt leaned right into his face and shouted, "Pack it in, you piece of scum!" Hansen blinked in surprise, and a look of fear crossed his face. He had always thought coppers to be gutless, but Matt had somehow managed to scare him. Hansen stared at the ground, while his mates in the van looked at him in a new light.

At the hospital, Cass hovered at the emergency room door. She kept trying to peer inside when someone entered or left. Finally she was rewarded with a glimpse of Nick awake and coughing. A doctor saw her and said something to a colleague. Then the doctor beckoned her in. She rushed in and saw that both Ruby and Nick were awake, smoke blackened but not too badly injured. The doctor was explaining that because of smoke inhalation, they would stay in overnight, but should be able to go home the next day.

Nick and Ruby looked at each other in relief, then Nick buried himself in Cass' arms. Ruby lay back smiling at them. Her own man would soon be there for her, and she blinked back tears of relief.

Later, Matt arrived and told then of Hansen and his gang of would-be Nazis. "They hadn't actually managed to work out any plan for causing trouble on the estate yet. When you two walked into their little headquarters, Hansen panicked, he had to do something to make himself look big in front of his followers. He was making it up as he went along. He reckons he was bricking it."

Nick spat out, "HE was bricking it?" and started coughing. Cass rubbed his back.

Matt continued, "Anyway, the garaging outfits decided to take a bit of pre-emptive action. At least, they gave those scroats a good thumping..."

A nurse was waiting to take Nick and Ruby to the wards for the night. Matt said his goodnights and left. Ruby gave Nick's hand a squeeze and was wheeled off, her boyfriend had arrived and he walked away with her. Cass sat next to Nick and they hugged, saying nothing. Soon the nurse came back and Cass watched him go. Then she walked out, sat in the women's loo and cried the tears she had wanted to cry earlier.


End file.
